special events

Without necessarily realizing it, we accumulate a lot of muscular tension in our bodies. This comes about because of how we use our bodies (repetitive movements, a lot of sitting) and because of how we respond to life’s circumstances (injury, trauma, chronic stress) both in the present and held onto from our past. 

When we have aches and pains or restricted movement these are often symptoms of muscular tension that has been sneakily accumulating under the surface. Some symptoms and conditions we can experience are: low back pain, sciatica, frozen shoulder, neck pain, hip pain, SI joint pain, jaw pain etc. 

We need a new philosophy to helps us feel better and that is exactly what we can find in somatics. Somatics encourages us to be curious about where we work too hard to create a movement. We can then use that awareness to help us soften the effort we habitually rely on. This helps us to move with less effort and more freedom.

We have the capacity to change how we feel and it is through our brain’s ability to be self-aware.

It starts first with noticing how we feel. Lying down and doing a body scan and beginning to understand how hard our bodies have actually been working for us when we weren’t paying attention. It is amazing how little we might feel this when we are on our feet compared to when we lay down.

We can then learn movement patterns that help us sense the areas in our bodies that overwork and begin to soften our effort. Through this process we grow our self-awareness so that as we are going through our day, we are more in-tune with how we feel and can manage our movements and our responses. 

A somatic practice might seem like it’s just about the movement of the body, but it has a ripple effect that benefits our entire being (soma) and our perspective on life. How we move directly influences how we feel because the brain and the muscles send messages back and forth. A somatic practice gives us the tools we need to reset ourselves and be more resilient through life’s challenges.

This series takes place over the course of one month and will include:

• Introductory Workshop
• 21 Recorded Practices (audio)
• Guided Movement Videos
• Concluding Workshop

 Erin will introduce somatic philosophy and how this unique perspective of our bodies is the backbone to our practice. If we start to look at our whole lives through this somatic lense we can experience a long-term shift towards ease. 

• What is somatic philosophy?
• How does it benefit us to adopt it?
• Experience what is means to do something in a somatic way

Every day for three weeks, you will receive a 20-30 minute audio of a recorded practice. There will also be supplemental videos provided to visually clarify movements. The fourth week is for catching up on practices you didn’t get to or to go back and repeat any of them.

 Erin will share further thoughts about somatic philosophy and setting up a home practice. This is a chance for discussion about the experience and to clarify any questions people may have.

Group Discussion:

• What was your experience like? 
• What challenges came up? 
• How did your awareness of yourself change? 
• What did you learn about yourself? 

Erin will:

• Clarify what movements to explore based on what you are noticing about your body
• Highlight how experiencing tightness or discomfort in one area of the body is directly connected to other parts of the body. For example, low back pain is not just about your low back.

Details coming soon...